Implement for picking up ears of corn



UMTE

HENRY L. LWESTERBZAUS, O'F PEMBERVILLE, 01110..

V IMZPLEMENTZ F03 PICKIN'Gl-UB EA IRS 013 (JOHN;

ancl State of Ohio, have invente d a certain new ancl useful Improvementin an Implement for Picking p* Ears 01 C01Ii; and

I do hereby declare the following t0 be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinq had to tlmaccomweight, permitting it to be carriedfor a. considefable ti1ne without tiringf t he operator. In l;he accompanying draw1ngs, 1 F1gure 1 1s an elevat1on 01 the preferred form of implement. the jaws for gripping the corn ear being shown in their closed po sition ancl Fig. 2 is a detail view 0f the mdvable.

gripping jaw cletached from the implem ent. As sh0wn in theaccompanying drawmg, in the preferred form of construction, the

implement comprises a handle 10 provided at one encl with a suitably attaohed band hold 11. At its*0pp0s ite orlower end, handle 10 is formecl with. a gripping jaw 12. The gripping jaw 12 is integral with the handleand constitutes the fixecl gripping jaw 0f the implement. y

Firmly seured 120 handle 10 above the gripping'jaw 12 is a fulcrum block 13 in the form of a lateral projection and pivot ally mounted' on said fulcrum block is the movable jaw 140f fhe implement. Prefetably, jaw14 is pivoted intennecliate its ends 011 said block 13, the connection between t-he two elements being in fhe form of an ordinary hinge 15, ancl the Guter face 16 of-block 13 is inclinkad with respect t0 handle 10 to permit ehe lower end 0f jaw 14 to loe moved cl0 se 130 jaw 12; The lower end of jaw 14 is held in this clo sed position by a spring 17 interposed between the upper end of the jaw and the handle 12, the

spring serving to thrus.t said jav v and han -loosely carried 011 a bolt 6xtending through handle 10, the spring beingof greater length than tl1e bolt an d retained theTeon by jaw 14.

At thlair lower encls, b0th"of aws 12 and 14 am tapered as als 18 to form a flared: entrance that will facilitate the entry of the ear 01 corn between the jaws.

T0 insure thear 0f corin being firmly grasped and retained between the jaws, one of the jaws, preferably jaw 14, is proVided with a transversely extending recess or depression 19.1 This recess is substantizilly sem i-circular in c rqsssectiorial contour, conforming somewhatfio the s hape 0f an ear 0fc01'11, ar'id forms a pockelp. so t0 speak, into which the eanof' corn Will be forced and =retained imme'diately after passing 'through the entrance 01 the jaws.

lt Will be' understood. hat the combined lengtlyofharidle 10 ahd jaW 14 is S11Cl1' 13l12111 a persozi employing the implement can mach 3' an ear Cf corn Q1'l .the ground with it with 0ut st ooping -down In Operation, the jaWs 12 ancl 14 areplacd over the ear ofc orn so be p1cl ed i1p,sothafithe 'ear'1s pos1t1oned in theht'rance 18 and the implenientisfheh pushed Clown to force {the j'awS Clown 0ver the s1des of the ear, the tensmn of spnng 17 being sfficiently' light to[permit the jaws so be spread apart and allow th6 ear t0 pass into pocket-19 without injury to the co'rn.

'jaws ehe implement is raised and the ea'.r

releasd by manually manipulatting the jaw 14 to spread the jaws apart. Tliis is the y only time'the jaws a're dlrectly mai1ipulatd .by the perator -as Cl1e eai of corn forceS the jaws open When an ear is being picked up. lVhatlclaim is:

After the eai has been grasped betWeen ehe v 1. In a de-viceof the character described,

.the, combination O'E a handle, a fixed grip ping jaw pl ovide cl at one end of saidhan-; *clle, a pivotally mounted gripping jaw carriecl by the handle and m0valole tward ari d away from the. fixed 1aw, miaahs for yieldin 1 'maintainin said 'aws inclosed osin l l3 tion', and a flaied entrance betwiaen the jaws, one of said jaws having a transvers6ly ex tericl'mg recess 'fonned thetein immediately within s'aid entrarice'. V

"2., In a device ofthe character described,

the combination of a handle having an integral fixed gripping jaw formed at o'ne end thereof, a laterally projecting fulcrum block carried 011 the handle, an elongated gripping jaw pivotally mounted intermediate its ends 0n said fulcrum block, a springinterposed between the handle and one end of thc movable jaw adapted to force that end of the jaw mvay from-the handle, whereby the opposite end of ehe movable jaw is yieldingly positioned adjacent the fixed gripping jaw formed .on the handle.

3. In adevice of th e character described, 

